Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Feel-Good Moment

I got flagged down by a frantic single mom, whose two little boys had disappeared from in front of their house. They'd been gone for nearly an hour, and she couldn't find them. As we always do in these cases, all available cars responded to the area and started looking. After another 15 minutes or so, the kids showed up at home. I drove over there to check on everybody, and gently admonished the kids about staying near the house unless they had mom's permission. Done.

Later, I came into the station to finish off the day's paperwork. In my mailbox were a 'Thank You' card from mom, handmade 'I'm Sorry' cards from the kids, and a huge Tupperware container of homemade cookies with a note attached saying they'd been made by the whole family.

On some days - on some very, very rare days - Officer Cynical becomes a little less cynical for just a minute.

I did the same thing when I was six years old. I actually did it twice. The first time, my parents yelled at me. The second time, they got out the big guns and spoke to my neighbor who lived at the bottom of the cul-de-sac.

Well, my neighbor was an FBI agent who worked in the unit that dealt with crimes against children. I used to go down to his house all the time to play with his yellow Lab. I was there the next day and he told me to get all my friends, who would also play with the dog, and he'd tell us all a story. So I got all my friends.

About Me

I'm a police officer assigned to patrol in a US city. The people and events I deal with every day range from the mind-numbingly boring to the hair-raisingly terrifying. This blog is where I'll be talking about it. I welcome your comments and stories. Write me at officercynical@gmail.com.

Disclaimer

My posts are as true as I can make them without getting fired or sued. For obvious reasons, I omit names and locations. My opinions in no way reflect those of any entity other than myself. If you are easily offended, run away now lest you become as dead inside as I am.